Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1194

 1072

NETHERLANDS

The amount of the chief taxes per hecad of the population was, in 1911, 26-21 guilders [21. ^s. M.).

The expenditure of the * Department for the Colonies ' entered in the budget estimates only refers to the central administration. There is a separate budget for the great colonial possessions in the East Indies, voted as such by the States-General. The financial estimates for the year 1913 are distributed between the colonies and the mother country in the following proportions : —

Guilders

Expenditure in the colonies 2'dl,Z^\,Z2')

Home Government expenditure 47,125,i'>89

Total expenditure

Revenues in the mother country colonies.

Total revenue

284,457,014

3-2,218,550 222,600,058

254.819,208

In the budget for 1913 the national debt is given as follows

Nominal Capital

Funded Debt

2i per cent, debt

3" ., ,, debt of 1895, 1898, 1890 and li;05 3^ ,, ,, debt of 1910 ....

Total ....

Floating debt

Annuities

Sinking fund

Total debt ....

Guilders

587,704,400

510,636,150

51,917,900

1,1.56,258,4.50

1,150.258,450 (90,354,871i.)

Annual Interest

Guilders 14,692,010 15,501,085 1,817,020

32,011,321

400,000

08,109

5,528,000

38,002,430 (3,160,869?.)

For 1912 the interest of th-. funded debt was 32,214,450 guilders, and the sinking fund 5,381,000 guilders.

During the years 1850-1912, 359.775,427 guilders have been devoted to the redemption of the public debt. The total debt (1912) amounts to 1,163,237,708 gld. or 16/. 4s. per head, and the annual charge to 32,214,454 or 8s. lid. per head.

The rateable annual value of buildings was given at 187,172,351 guilders in 1911, and of land, 97,301,505 guilders.

The various provinces and communes have their own separate budgets ; the provincial expenditure for 1909 was 10,642,566 guilders; the revenue at 11,417,927 guilders; the communal expenses in 1909 amounted to 175,609,000 guilders, whereof 41,877,000 guilders for debt. The communal revenues were, in the same year, 181,553,000 guilders.

Defence.

I. Frontier. The Netherlands are bordered on the south by Belgium, on the east by Germany. On the former side the country is quite level, on the latter more hilly ; the land frontier is open all round. The frontiers are defended by few fortresses. The scheme of defence adopted in 1874 contemplates concentration of the defensive forces in a restricted area, known as the Holland, with parts of Zeeland and Utrecht. Two-thirds of the area is
 * Holland Fortress." This comprises the provinces of North and boutii